At 10:25 on Tuesday, July 21, I took a look at the amber LED light at 6th and Main in Montara. Dave Olson of the MCC went out independently and we compared notes. Our observations were strikingly similar, although I don’t think Dave agrees with my conclusions.

One caveat: I’m not sure we have a common definition of glare. I think it can either mean “unpleasant brightness” in the case of the LED’s or it can mean “too much scattered light” in the case of the existing lights with diffusers.

My observations:

1. The LED lights are much less unpleasant from across the street than they are when you’re on the street itself. When you’re on the axis of the street, the lights are much brighter and IMO very unpleasant.

2. It matters if you are uphill or downhill from the light. If you’re downhill, the light is much brighter. 6th and Main is a difficult light to judge because you’re downhill in both directions, but the angle is less steep from the north. However, the brightness from lower angles is important, because most of the streets on the Midcoast are on hills.

3. Some of the existing (sodium vapor?) lights in Montara have diffusers and some don’t. The diffusers are mostly large globes and they scatter a ton of light, which is a problem. I think the existing lights without diffusers are not that unpleasant.

4. I compared the LED at 6th and Main to the existing light at 6th and Farallone, which does not appear to have a diffuser. I observed the LED from 100 ft north on Main St and the existing light from 100 ft west on 6th. From each of these positions, I was slightly downhill from the lights. I’ve attached some photos I took with my iphone. I think the difference is a fair representation of my experience, although I couldn’t control the exposure, so it’s not definitive.

5. I thought there was a lot more glare from the LED light than a non-diffused existing light viewed from 100 ft at roughly the same angle. The LED’s are really unpleasant even at 100 ft. I suspect the range of unpleasantness is wider, but I was unable to check this because a tree obscured the view beyond 100 ft.

6. I found the existing lights look about the same from any angle as the LED lights do from across the street at 100ft. That is, unobjectionable. I don’t think the LED’s illuminated any more street than the existing lights.

My Conclusion: PG&E is not giving us any real options, so I have no idea whether there are better alternatives to this particular LED fixture. This is not even a Hobson’s Choice, since “nothing” is not a possible option. The manufacturers, PG&E, and the county have no incentive to get this right. I think the LED’s we’re being shown are too damn bright if you’re within 100 to 150 feet of them and on the same side of the street. I suspect they’d benefit from operating at a lower brightness without damaging visibility on the street. An external diffuser would mitigate this, but it would probably result in a lot more scattered light, which is not desirable.

When most people look out on the muddy waters of the San Francisco Bay they don’t think of what lies underneath. They notice the large ferries, yachts, and cargo ships that crisscross its waters every single day, but nothing else. Those brown, turbid waters hold many secrets and many amazing animals.

Among these amazing animals are sharks. No, not the giant, toothy menaces that everyone conjures up when the word “shark” is mentioned. I am talking about the more common, uncharismatic species that inhabit the San Francisco Bay. While it is true that large, oceanic species (such as the Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)) have been found swimming inside the Bay, they usually don’t stay long or venture far inside. The sharks that reside in the Bay are usually harmless, smaller species. One such species is the North Pacific Spiny Dogfish (Squalus suckleyi). These slender, brown sharks reach a maximum length of 4 feet and are found inside the Bay mostly in the winter months. During this time, they can form very large schools, usually consisting of a single sex. Interestingly, Spiny Dogfish possess a curved, mildly poisonous spine in front of each dorsal fin, which is used for defense from larger predators.

One of the larger sharks that regularly inhabits the San Francisco Bay is the Broadnose Sevengill Shark (Notorynchus cepedianus), which can reach lengths of about 10 feet! Sevengills are found in our waters mostly during the spring and summer months. During these warmer months there is an increase in the abundance of large, pregnant females, leading scientists to believe that they come to San Francisco to give birth. Sevengills eat mostly fish (including other smaller sharks), but larger ones will eat marine mammals as well. Sevengills also appear to come into the Bay in pursuit of smaller prey species of sharks, such as the Brown Smoothhound (Mustelus henlei), a species that is common in the early spring. Interestingly, it has been shown that the coloration of the Sevengills in San Francisco differs from other locations in California, leading to the possibility of subspecies in Californian waters.

Probably the most abundant shark in the San Francisco Bay is the Leopard Shark (Triakis semifasciata). This medium-sized shark, which can grow up to 5 feet long, feeds on worms, crabs, clams, and small fish in shallow water. The Leopard Shark can move large distances (some move down to Southern California), but the ones in the Bay seem to be mostly residents. San Francisco is a vital nursery area for these sharks, as newborns of the species are commonly found in the safety of the shallow waters found here.

The final days of Jesus Christ leading up to his crucifixion are seen through the eyes of his betrayor, Judas, in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s dazzling masterpiece. This revolutionary and timely rock opera addresses contemporary themes of how fame and popularity can deceive and corrupt. Produced by the Coastal Rep team that brought you Rent, Hair, and Sweeney Todd, this beloved rock opera is guaranteed to deliver an amazing and unforgettable experience!

Time for another Silent Film Festival sponsored by the Coastside Film Society. This year’s program features the comedic genius of the great Charlie Chaplin with live piano accompaniment by Shauna Pickett-Gordon.

These are all madcap films that the whole family will love, especially because we screen them with live musical accompaniment. Once again we have asked Montara’s own Shauna Pickett-Gordon to write a score for our silent film night & to play live during our screening.

The program includes:

A Dogs Life (1918).

Chaplin’s Little Tramp shambles around the cold, cruel world with his partner Scraps the dog. They pull off brilliantly coordinated food heists and befriend a lonely and lovely dance hostess. But things still look pretty desperate until Scraps discovers the hidden loot from a bank heist. Of course the crooks want it back.

The Idle Class (1921)

The tramp sneaks into an upper class resort where he is mistaken for an inebriated millionaire. The millionaire’s neglected and lonely wife is thrilled at her husband’s transformation and spirited hi-jinx ensue. The tramp remains the tramp, but the opulent interiors and costumes contrast richly with the grunginess of the first film.

Pay Day (1922)

Here Chaplin plays a construction worker who loves his job but is especially looking forward to getting paid at the end of the day and enjoying a night out with his pals. His penny pinching wife has other ideas. This gleeful romp showcases Chaplin in an extended choreography of expert brick-catching and an overactive elevator that catches everybody unaware. Arriving home at daybreak, Chaplin is getting ready for bed when the alarm clock rings, waking his wife. Another day at work begins.

For more information and directions to the new venue see: www.HMBFilm.org

Directions: This venue is new and Google and GPS systems may not be able to find it. Check the Film Society website for better directions.

Join us this Saturday for a new show at the Darin Boville Gallery—photographs by three local graduating high school students curated by Nicole Collins, also a Half Moon Bay High School student. Nicole, and the photographers she selected, are on their way to college but before they go we’re holding a show of their work.

The informal opening will run 12:00 to 4:00, Saturday, August 9, and we’ll have light refreshments.

The student works will be for sale at very reasonable prices—the gallery will donate mat board and matting and framing services and all of the proceeds will go to the students.

It’s our way of encouraging young people to think more seriously about art. Stop by for a few minutes and show your support!

The Darin Boville Gallery is located in Half Moon Bay on Route 92, just inside the city limits. Look for the red dinosaurs and pull in.

The Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay sponsored a team at this year’s Relay for Life Half Moon Bay on August 2-3 to support the American Cancer Society’s cancer research efforts.

Led by Rotarian Liz Schuck, the team reached well over its $1,000 goal with over $1,340 raised to date. Members walked the track, participated in the opening and luminaria ceremony, and hosted visitors in the Rotary Club hospitality tent. Intrepid Liz camped at Hatch Elementary School overnight with other teams for the 24-hour event. As usual, it was a cool Half Moon Bay August weekend, but what a great and rewarding community event!

Missing Home is a documentary that explores the affects of modernization on the people of China- specifically its effects on the culture & lives of people living in Hutongs, Beijing’s ancient sprawling alleys.

Hutongs, which date to the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1341), have long been regarded as the heart and soul of Beijing. They are chock-a-block with family homes and crammed with countless small shops and restaurants, but are now disappearing at a prodigious rate as Beijing modernizes. It is estimated that 80% of these revered ancient alleyways have been plowed under in the last decade, displacing close to 580,000 souls. Few of the displaced residents have reaped the prosperity that was promised to accompany modernization – most face more economic struggles than ever before.

Although the loss of the historic architecture is significant, it is perhaps more important to note the loss of an ancient social network of neighbors and friends, of spirit & culture that have defined the way of life in Beijing for centuries of generations. A collective way of life is being edged out by sterile high-rises, which are rapidly inundating the spaces Hutongs once filled. This displacement & replacement stands at the heart of an increasingly controversial dialogue about progress and modernization in China: How can the China of the future balance the preservation of culturally & historically significant traditions & sites, while building a global city?

Rotary club members are supporting the American Cancer Society in its drive to fund cancer research, raise awareness, and save lives with a team in the Half Moon Bay’s Relay for Life 24-hour event on August 2-3, 2014 at Hatch Elementary School in Half Moon Bay.

The Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay is currently expanding its membership and fundraising efforts to support its local signature cause – RotaCare, the free medical clinic for the uninsured in Half Moon Bay and the surrounding Coastside communities. The July 31st program is a lunchtime barbecue, Brews & Shoes, in the Outback at Cameron’s Pub in Half Moon Bay. The program is open to individuals who are interested in the Rotary mission of service above self ($25 admission and RSVP to Kendall Flint at kflint@flintstrategies.com.)

August lunch programs commence on Thursday August 7th with a presentation by the Rotary District Governor, Chris Gallagher, followed by the annual introduction to new Coastside Teachers on August 14th, Lena Potts, the Community Manager for HIP Housing which is dedicated to helping people find affordable housing in San Mateo County, on August 21, and rounded out with Robert Pickett, Artistic Director of the Half Moon Bay Shakespeare Company on August 28th.

The fifty plus members of the Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay donate time and money to support the under-served in the community and around the world. The Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay is one of 34,000 clubs around the world. The primary mission of Rotary International is the worldwide eradication of polio, and they are close to reaching their goal. The Half Moon Bay Club meets each Thursday for lunch at the Portuguese Center at 724 Kelly Street in downtown Half Moon Bay.

Contact Mary Corcoran, Public Relations Chairperson, at mcorcoranhmb@gmail.com or 650-218-0436.

My daughter Ashley Chimienti is handicapped. She cannot drive in the state of California. She has to take the bus over the hill for CLASSES at CSM and to meet with her ARC group a few times during the week.

THE bus stops in HMB used to be convenient.

1. MAIN and KELLY
2. HWY 92 by NEW LEAF
3. HWY 1 by TRES AMIGOS

THEN they were changed to across the street from CITY HALL (YOUR OFFICE). THIS Location has a rest room and benches and covered areas incase of indiscriminate weather. THE bus would arrive at 9:00AM and the riders could get on at 9:13 for a run direct to the COLLEGE. THIS WAS an ACCEPTABLE change. BUT now the new change to the route is UNACCEPTABLE.

I was on the phone today with a SAM TRANS representative RICH LESSER 650 508 6202. He advised me that SAM TRANS “LOST” the STOPs on KELLY AND MAIN, because the CITY OF HALF MOON BAY TOOK IT AWAY!

SAM TRANS said they were trying to get on on another side street I believe he said Miramontes. THE bus no longer goes down Hwy 92 to Hwy 1 BUT rather turns on Main street. THEN IT BYPASSES all the TOWN stops and then stops on MAIN AND POPLAR.

I could not figure out why so far away from the CONVENIENT stops till I was told by a worker for the CITY OF HALF MOON BAY on the phone today that POPLAR and MAIN was added because of the NEW SENIOR DEVELOPMENT located at that site. THERE HAVE BEEN SENIOR CITIZEN HOUSING in that location for YEARS and no request for an ADDITIONAL BUS STOP. Sounds like deals are being made with developers.

YOU NEED TO REINSTATE the stops noted as 1, 2 and 3 previously in this email.

THERE were MANY HANDICAPPED RIDERS that used to wait at those stops and you don’t realize the PANIC that you caused my daughter the day the ROUTE changed without prior notification. SHE suffers from SEIZURES and was very shaken when I FINALLY did find her.

YOU BETTER FIX this problem ASAP! OR I will be down to your office. I will give you till July 16 and if I don’t hear back I will be there.

Will Durst’s new show BoomeRaging: From LSD to OMG will open at the Coastal Repertory Theatre in Half Moon Bay, July 5 and 6.

Durst’s new show is an uproarious tribute to the joys, achievements, frustrations, and looming doom of the Baby Boom Generation. In this rollicking 85- minute heartfelt monologue, Durst encourages his chronologically gifted brethren to refuse to grow old in the face of gravity no matter how many times they forget the answer to their password retrieval security question. It’s what happens when acid flashbacks meet Dementia. A celebration of the maturation of the Boomer Nation: culminating in an extra, added special treat- the Meaning of Life.

BoomeRaging: From LSD to OMG is Durst’s first one-man show since Elected to Laugh ran for 41 consecutive weeks in San Francisco in 2012. Acknowledged by peers and press alike as one of the country’s premier political satirists, Will Durst has developed an incomparable career, weaving together columns, books, radio and television commentaries, acting, voice-overs and stand-up into a riotous patchwork of outraged and outrageous common sense. The New York Times calls him, “quite possibly the best political comedian working in the country today.” Author of 3 books, Durst has told jokes in 14 countries, racked up 800+ television appearances, released 5 CDs and despite blistering reproach, continues to squeeze ketchup on his hot dog.

Ably assisted by his genial wit and trusty overhead projector, Durst explores the role of Boomers in today’s youth obsessed society. He shamelessly strokes the egos and pats the hands of the Flower Generation through segments entitled Racing From The Shadow Of A Mushroom Cloud, The Blinking VCR, Still Doing Drugs-Only Now There’s a Co- Pay, The Bright Sides of Extreme Adulthood, and Hope I Die Before I… Oops, Too Late.

BoomeRaging: From LSD to OMG is a unique theatrical event with a dash of poetry all delivered with stand-up timing.

@daveolsonmcc wrote: AGENDA for April 27, 2016, Regular Meeting, 7:00 p.m. Special location: Cypress Meadows, 343 Cypress Avenue, Moss Beach Call to Order (7:00 p.m.) — Councilmember self-introductions.1. Report from Board of Supervisors and Other Government Officials 2. Public Comment and Announcements (Members of the public may speak up to three…

@daveolsonmcc wrote: Granada Community Services District, 504 Avenue Alhambra, 3rd Floor, El Granada Call to Order (7:00 p.m.) — Councilmember self-introductions. Board of Supervisors’ Report and Reports from other Government Officials Public Comment and Announcements (Members of the public may speak up to three minutes on any topic not…

@johnohara wrote: Yesterday the Alpaca's were attacked in Montara. A dog got loose from it's owner and jumped the fence and viciously attacked them. I understand two of them were injured.It seems to be a constant problem in our town of dogs getting loose and injuring animals or people. I started a petition in response to an earlier vicious dog attack…

@daveolsonmcc wrote: AGENDA for Midcoast Community Council Special Meeting, Tuesday, March 8, 2016, 7:00 p.m. Special location: Cypress Meadows, 343 Cypress Ave. NOTE: The regular MCC meeting on March 9, 2016 is cancelled. Call to Order (7:00 p.m.) — Councilmember self-introductions. Board of Supervisors’ Report and Reports from other Government…

@johnohara wrote:
This is the petition that Nextdoor censored. It was started after a pair of dogs attacked a small dog named Daisy on Montara State Beach.
Sign the Petition
Posts: 6
Participants: 1
Read full topic

OvernightA 50% chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 51. South wind around 11 mph.

FridayA 50% chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 59. South wind 7 to 11 mph. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Friday NightRain. Low around 53. Breezy, with a south wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 17 to 22 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

SaturdayRain likely, mainly before 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 59. Breezy, with a south wind 20 to 25 mph decreasing to 9 to 14 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Saturday NightA 30% chance of rain before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. NW wind 5 to 7 mph. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.